Shrimp on the Barby

Yes, it has finally happened. The man who is scared of propane grilled. We didn't know if it could happen. It had been three years since I bought him the grill for his first father's day. Three years that it sat half way assembled in our back bedroom. Three years of him wanting to grill but that little voice saying "You put this together yourself, it will surely explode". So, it was a treat indeed when on our first Wednesday get together, in our new backyard, we had our very first barbecue. Have you ever seen a chef more proud?
We went with teriyaki marinated steak with onions and peppers, shrimp and pineapple and grilled corn. We had no clue what we were doing but, yep, here it comes...how hard could it be? Apply meat to grill and wait. What no one tells you is that it is tricky to tell when the steak is done. If you wait until it looks good and done, then it is a little...well, let's go with chewy. The shrimp have a built in indicator. Turns pink when warm. The corn...well, getting searing hot foil off to see if it is done using tongs the size of your hand is no easy feat indeed. In fact, it took three people, three tries and still no cigar. It ended with a "You know, I am sure it's done".

Joshua, ever the innovator, found a good way to keep himself busy. If dad won't let me squirt the grill, I will just squirt dad.

Here is the best part of all. Not only was this our very first barbecue, it was our first time to host Keysha in our new home. She was visiting from Colorado for a wedding and I was fortunate enough to steal her away for an evening. She wrapped the corn and is to blame for the iron clad foil security but she also played tag with Joshy and let him chase her with water guns and so, I guess she came out even for the day.
Joshy would eat the shrimp but he loved the corn. He had two ears, in fact. They are ears, right? Cobs? Anyway, he had two and if it weren't for sheer quantity issues, would probably have had more. I still can't believe how great everything tasted. It is almost as though we had no hand in the cooking at all. It was that good. John deserves all the kudos. I can't tell you how proud I am of that man.

Beyond stuffing our faces, it was just a normal fun afternoon. Jess tried to prove that she was just as strong as ever. Notice the blurry feet as she jumps her chin above the bar. (Just be thankful I didn't upload the one where she was trying to get her feet on the bar.)
Joshy loves "my Jessie", as he calls her. They always have so much fun together and if there is anything she has taught him, it is how to ham up for the camera. So there it is, our very first barbecue. Who knew grilling could be so fun??!!